68.7% vote in Phase 2, row over ‘roadshow’

Ahmedabad, December 14 

An estimated 68.70 per cent polling was today recorded in the second and final phase of the Assembly elections covering 93 seats in Gujarat, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi hogged the limelight for a “roadshow” that has come under the EC scanner.

Edit: EC in eye of storm 

Barring stray incidents of violence, the polling, spread across 14 districts in central and north Gujarat, was peaceful. Modi stood in a queue to cast his vote in a polling booth in a school in Sabarmati in Ahmedabad. After exercising his franchise, he walked a few metres and then briefly travelled on the foot-board of his car flashing his inked finger to the people who had gathered on both sides of the road.

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The Congress termed the event a “roadshow”, which, it claimed, violated the poll code. It promptly lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, which ordered an inquiry. Accusing the EC of acting like a “captive puppet” of the BJP, the Congress alleged that the poll body failed to uphold its constitutional mandate. In a no-holds-barred attack on Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti, the Congress alleged he was behaving like “Modi’s principal secretary”. The BJP, in a vigorous response, said the Congress was looking for excuses before its “impending defeat”.

Acting on Congress’ complaint, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain said an inquiry had been ordered to probe whether there was any violation of the model code. — TNS/PTI